We
use wish with past Tense forms (simple and continuous) to express regret about
present situations:
-
I wish I was taller = (I’m not very tall)
-
I wish I was going with you = (but I'm not)
I
wish you were more help. = (you are not) I wish I were can replace I wish I
was.
To
many people, I wish I were sounds more correct:
I
wish I were taller.
We
use wish with could to express a wish for a present situation to be different:
I wish I could use a computer well. (But I
can’t)
X
I wish I would tell her about it.
I
wish I could tell her about it.
Past
Simple è presentè I wish I knew the
answer. (= I don’t know)
Past
Simple èpresent è I wish I was /were
better at sports. (= I'm not)
Past
Continuousè present è I wish I was /were going
with you. (= I'm not)
Could
è present è I wish I could give you
an answer. (= I can't)
Would
è future è I wish you would be
quiet. (= Your talking irritates me.)- Always different subjects-
Past
Perfect è past è I wish I had known you
then. (= but I didn't)
Could
have è pastè I wish I could have
explained. (= I wasn't able to)
Wishes about the future
We use wish with would to
say how we would like somebody to behave in the future:
X I wish you to stop
talking.
/I wish you would stop
talking.
X I wish that they will stop
arguing.
/I wish they would stop
arguing.
• We can also use this
pattern in situations that do not involve people:
I wish this car would go
faster.
Wishes about the past
We use wish with the Past Perfect
when we have regrets about the past:
I wish I hadn't taken your
advice. (= but I did)
I wish she could have come.
(= but she didn't).
If only
If only can be more emphatic
than I wish. The verb forms after if only are the same as the patterns with
wish:
If only I had more money! (=
but I haven't)
If only I was going on
holiday with you!
If only you were here. (=
but you’re not)
If only the sun would come
out!
If only you could be here!
(= but you're not)
If only I'd listened to you!
(=but I didn't )
If only he could have
explained! (=but he wasn't able to)
A. Complete these sentences with the correct form of
the verb in brackets. Some sentences require a negation and use the
contractions in the negative form.
Principio del formulario
1. Bruce wishes he ___________(have)
more money so he could buy a new sweater.
2. I wish I ___________(
(be) taller so that I could be in the basketball team.
3. I wish you ___________(
(stop) watching television while I am talking to you.
4. I wish you ___________(
(do) that. It annoys me.
5. I wish the
holidays ___________( (come) so we could go off to the seaside.
6. Of course Tom
wishes he ___________( (come) with us to Paris, but he has to stay here.
7. I wish we ___________(
(go) to the match on Saturday but we're visiting my uncle.
8. I wish you ___________(
(keep) your mouth shut yesterday. Now Mary knows.
9. If only I ___________(
(lose) all my money. Now I'm broke.
10. Peter is
always late. If only he ___________( (turn up) on time for a change!
Final del formulario
B. Complete
the sentences in such a way that it means the same as the sentence before it.
Example: I haven’t a job at the moment ---- If only/I wish
I had a job
I’m not going to the party --------- If only/I
wish I were going to the party
I married Myrtle instead of Francis -------- If only/I wish I had married Francis
You won’t ever wait for me -----------If
only/I wish you would wait for me
We’ve run
out of petrol -------- If only/I wish ...............................................................
I’m taking a
test tomorrow -------- If only/I
wish
ZERO CONDITIONAL:
Para resultados habituales y reglas de la naturaleza.
IF +
PRESENTE..........., PRESENTE
Ejemplo: If you mix water
and oil, oil floats
FIRST CONDITIONAL:
Para situaciones reales o posibles.
IF +
PRESENTE........., FUTURE (WILL / BE
GOING TO)
Ejemplos: If I
don’t see Mark, I’ll phone him.
If you keep driving like
that, you’re going to have an accident.
If you are
looking for Peter, you´ll find him upstairs.
Pr. Cont.
If you have finished dinner, I´ll ask
the waiter for the bill.
Pr.
Perfect
IF + PRESENTE........., IMPERATIVO
Ejemplo: If you
see Helen, give her the message.
MAY
IF + PRESENTE.........,
CAN + Infinitive
MUST
SHOULD
Ejemplo: If there
are some clouds, it may rain.
If you want to
lose weight, you should eat less bread.
IF + SHOULD + IMPERATIVE
HAPPEN TO FUTURE
Ejemplo: If Tom should phone, tell him I´ll phone him
back.
If you happen
to get the job, will you move to Australia?
SECOND CONDITIONAL:
Para situaciones hipotéticas o improbables.
IF + PASADO
..........,...............CONDICIONAL SIMPLE
WOULD
COULD + Infinitive
SHOULD
MIGHT
Ejemplo:
If I knew the answer, I’d tell you.
If I was
having a party, I wouldn’t invite Marcia.
*VERB BE
usually takes the form WERE for all persons, though WAS is used in everyday
speech.
Ejemplo: If I
were rich, I would buy a very big house.
IF + WERE TO
(Infinitive)..........,.., WOULD + Infinitive
Ejemplo: If the boss were to come in now, we
would be in real trouble.
THIRD CONDITIONAL:
Para situaciones pasadas que es IMPOSIBLE cambiar.
IF + PAST
PERFECT.........,.....CONDICIONAL PERFECTO
HAD + Past
Participle WOULD
COULD + HAVE + Past
Participle
MIGHT
SHOULD
Ejemplo: If the doctor had
been here, the boy wouldn´t have died.
CONJUNCIONES CONDICIONALES
1)IF (si)
2)EVEN IF (incluso si)
Even if it rains, we’ll still go for
a picnic
3)UNLESS + verbo afirmativo = IF + verbo
negativo.
( A menos que)
Unless you start at once, you´ll be late.
If you don´t start
at once, you´ll be late.
4)WHETHER ........OR = IF ..........OR (tanto
si......... como si no)
I´ll go to Madrid, whether you come or not.
5)SUPPOSING (THAT) =
(suponiendo que......)
SUPPOSE
Supposing you won the lottery, what would you do?
= What would you do if you won the lottery?
6)ON CONDITION THAT...... = ( a condición de que.......)
I´ll tell you it, on condition that you don´t tell anybody.
7)BUT FOR (THAT) ...= ( si no fuera/fuese
por...; si no hubiera/hubiese sido por)
If it were not for..; If
it hadn´t been for......
But for his
pension, he would starve.
8)PROVIDED (THAT).... = ...... (con la
condición de que...../ siempre que......)
PROVIDING
AS LONG AS
I’ll do what you say provided the police
are not informed.
I’ll help
you as long as you help me.
9)IN CASE.... =
(por si…, en caso de que...)
He wears two watches in case one of them stops
10)IF SO (si es así) / IF NOT (si no es así). Se refiere a la
oración anterior.
There is a possibility that Jack will be late. If so, I will take his place.
If so = If Jack is late.
It may rain. If not, we’ll go
to the beach.
If not = If it doesn’t
rain.
11)IF + ADJECTIVES (omitiendo el verbo TO
BE)
If interested, apply within. (=If
you are interested…)
If necessary, take a taxi. (=If it is necessary…)
12)IF ONLY (si tan solo…). También se
traduce por “ojalá” para expresar un deseo, una esperanza o un lamento, y se
deja sin terminar la segunda parte de la oración.
If only I had enough time!
If only I hadn’t drunk too
much, this wouldn’t have happened!
13)Colloquial omission of IF.
Sit down, and
I’ll make us a cup of tea.
(=If you sit down…)
14)Formal omission of IF: Inversion-structures. En estilo formal, IF se omite y se coloca el
auxiliar delante del sujeto. Esto ocurre con WERE, HAD y SHOULD (y muy rara vez
con otro auxiliar).
IF you should see her.......Þ Should you see her.........
IF I were rich........Þ Were I rich................
IF I had been ill....Þ Had I been ill..............
SUPUESTOS.
En muchos ejercicios se nos pide que formemos una oración
condicional a partir de una situación dada. Por ejemplo:
A. Tom can't buy a bike. He doesn't save any money.
If Tom saved
his money, he could buy a bike.
B. Lisa went to the doctor. She got better.
If Lisa hadn't
gone to the doctor, she wouldn't have got better.
Pero, ¿cómo llegamos hasta aquí? Los pasos a seguir son los siguientes:
1º - si la oración que tenemos está en presente,
tendremos que formar una oración
condicional del 2º tipo.
- si
la oración que tenemos está en pasado, tendremos que formar una oración
condicional del 3º tipo.
2º - si la
oración está en afirmativa, en la oración condicional pasará a ser negativa.
- pero si está en negativa, en la oración
condicional pasará a ser afirmativa.
3º - al final,
la oración resultante ha de tener sentido y orden.
EJEMPLO: Elena
doesn´t study. She fails her exams.
1º Þ Tenemos
que formar una oración del 2º tipo, ya que las oraciones están en presente.
2º Þ Una parte va a ir en negativa y la otra en
afirmativa (al revés de como está en la oración que se nos da).
3º Þ Orden y sentido: Elena tiene que estudiar
para no suspender sus exámenes.
